Chapter 55: Chapter 53: Spirit-Seeking Rat Ji An took the talisman brush and infused it with spiritual power, feeling it reach the tip of the brush without any obstruction. He nodded slightly; the quality of the talisman brush was quite good. "I’ll take it." He had looked into the market for talisman brushes, and this price was considered cheap. It seemed Wei Songnian had not marked up the price. Currently, talisman making was just practice, no need to demand a high-quality brush; having one available was good enough. Wei Songnian laughed, "Junior Brother, it’s best to buy an inheritance of a basic-level Talisman Master. Don’t hesitate to spend, as it contains many practical techniques for novice talisman makers and can save you a lot of detours." The original owner of this talisman brush was an old client of his, who sold him dozens of talismans every month; otherwise, he wouldn’t have agreed to accept this almost worn-out talisman brush as debt repayment, as it wasn’t easy to sell. He had prepared himself mentally for it to be stuck in his hands, and now that it was sold, he was quite happy. Ji An cupped his hands in thanks, "Thank you, Senior Brother. I have another favor to ask. The sapling of the Fire Cloud Ginseng in my yard has been eaten by something. Do you have any medicinal powder that can poison or stun beasts?" "The medicinal power of spirit ginseng is quite significant, and it must be a demon beast that ate it. Do you have any idea what kind of beast it might be, Junior Brother?" Is it really a demon beast? That’s a bit tricky. Ji An stated his guess, "I think it’s a rodent-type demon beast." "Rodent-type demon beasts have a very keen sense of smell and won’t touch anything with drugs on it. It’s not just rodent-type demon beasts; most demon beasts are sensitive to toxins, otherwise, demon hunting wouldn’t be so difficult." Wei Songnian expressed his helplessness, as normally the medicinal garden would have dharma prohibitions to prevent such occurrences. "Alright, I’ll just have to endure a few nights and see if I can catch or kill the thief that’s been eating it." Ji An gave a wry smile; if he couldn’t catch the thief of a demon beast, he feared he wouldn’t find peace. A single seed of Fire Cloud Ginseng cost two Contribution Points, and if too many were wasted, not only would it mean a loss of Crystal Stones, but also a waste of time. Moreover, he feared the spirit fruit saplings might get gnawed on. He pondered for a while and said, "Senior Brother, did you sell all the talisman paper and talisman ink I sold you before?" "Not yet. How much do you need?" Wei Songnian understood immediately what he meant. "100 sheets of lower-grade talisman paper, 10 sheets of middle-grade talisman paper, and a bottle of talisman ink. I’ll return them to you in the next transaction." Ji An paused for a moment and added, "Does it affect your Crystal Stone turnover? If it does, cut the quantity of talisman paper in half." "Of course not. Business has been good these past two months, and goods rarely sit idle for long." Wei Songnian agreed readily, pulling out the full amount of talisman paper and also taking out a bottle of talisman ink. After expressing his thanks, Ji An didn’t linger and left quickly. He rode on the talisman bird, flew to the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall, and exchanged the Crystal Stone he had planned to use to activate the Spirit Capturing Array for a Basic-level Talisman Master Inheritance Jade Slip, which contained the methods of making common Qi Refining Stage talismans, leaving him with five fewer Spirit Stones in his pocket. Under the midday sun, Ji An returned to the bamboo house, checked the spirit rice in the yard, and noticed a considerable reduction, but found no traces of land beasts passing through. It should have been pecked away by birds. He cleaned his hands and face, lit a furnace of incense, lay on a chair, and started reviewing the contents of the jade slip. After quickly browsing through the contents of the jade slip, he began contemplating the common talisman painting techniques. Once he felt he had memorized these techniques, he started observing the points to note when painting a Water Element Talisman... The day passed unnoticed until he had finished preparing for painting a Water Curtain Talisman, only then did he realize the slanting rays of the sunset shining through the window, and the outside turned a tinge of orange-red. Despite his divine sense being stronger than that of cultivators of the same stage, he also felt a bit dizzy; learning new knowledge and comprehending it was indeed tiring. Ji An steamed the spirit rice, then walked out of the yard to stretch his limbs while practicing the Object Control Technique, taking laps around the yard. A stone the size of a basketball flew lightly in the air under his magical skill control. In the valley, smoke from chimneys curled upwards, and bird calls became fewer, creating a peaceful and tranquil scene. The faint aroma of rice wafted from the small courtyard, and Ji An tossed the stone to the courtyard gate, connecting his mind with the Upper Stone Turtle. [Magic Technique: Object Control Technique (Minor Achievement 27%)] It was said that many spells for controlling magical artifacts were based on the Object Control Technique, which was why it was the magic technique he practiced the most in those days. Maybe due to his strong divine sense, or perhaps because the technique was relatively simple, his practice progressed quickly, achieving this result in just three days. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂 He guessed it wouldn’t be long before he could perfect this magic technique. Ji An went to the kitchen, cooked a bowl of dried vegetables and rabbit meat, and enjoyed it along with the spirit rice. After dinner, the sky was completely dark, with a crescent moon hanging over the hill. He found a raincoat and placed it by the door, lighting torches at the four corners of the fence. With light in the yard, that sneaky demon beast would likely be wary. Taking out a Pudun, Ji An sat cross-legged in the courtyard and began his cultivation. After cultivating twice with intervals, it was already 9:00 PM, and the torches had burned out. Rising to put on the raincoat, Ji An sat back on the Pudun, clearing his thoughts to quietly feel the flow of the wind between heaven and earth. Outside the courtyard, the chirping of insects rose and fell, everything seemed peaceful and harmonious. He didn’t know how much time had passed when Ji An heard rustling noises. Squinting his eyes, he glimpsed out of the corner of his eye a palm-length mouse appearing beside a Fire Cloud Ginseng plant. It crawled under the moonlight, cautiously glancing around with its bean-sized eyes glimmering faintly. Suddenly, it retraced into the shadow by the wall, staying completely still. After a while, it cautiously edged out, approaching its chosen food, using its tiny forepaws to swiftly dig at the soil, pausing after every two digs, ears twitching continuously. When the mouse lowered its head once more to dig, Ji An suddenly lifted his hand, releasing the Object Control Technique. Upon hearing the movement of his hand, the mouse turned to flee into the shadow. But it was too late; the Object Control Technique had ensnared it, and the mouse began squeaking. Ji An quickly approached, releasing the spiritual pressure of the Seventh-Layer Qi Refining stage, immediately calming the frantically struggling mouse, its neck drooping without a stir. "Playing dead? That’s too fake!" Ji An chuckled, continuing to firmly grip the mouse with the Object Control Technique. It was a Second-Layer Qi Refining mouse demon, of an unknown species. Taking the mouse demon inside the bamboo house, he lit a candle and carefully examined the mouse. Its head and back fur were golden brown, its sides light yellow, and its belly white, with four toes on the front paws and five on the back paws. "Such fate? It’s actually a Spirit-Seeking Rat." The Spirit-Seeking Rat wasn’t a rare demon beast, with many cultivators choosing to keep one, but raising a Spirit-Seeking Rat to be spiritually profound wasn’t easy, and this one demonstrated considerable spirituality. Ji An raised his brows slightly and checked the sheen of the Spirit-Seeking Rat’s fur himself, nodding lightly. The mouse’s bloodline was good, worthy of cultivation. The Beast Taming Secret Skill passed down in his family had found its use, and after a couple of years of nurturing, it would be ready to serve his purpose.